Page 91 of Right With You
He swore under his breath. “Not happening.”
It probably didn’t bode well for my mental state, but I laughed at the lethal edge to his voice.
“I think it’s safe to say you’re right about that.” My head shook as I added, “I can’t understand what he thought would make me be with him again ever, much less after this.”
With his arm around my back, he walked me slowly out of the room, the living room, and into the breezy spring afternoon. I blinked against the light and inhaled the fresh air.
“Sounds silly, but I really hated being locked up in that room. It made me realize I need to get out more.”
He scowled at me. “It doesn’t sound silly. You were kidnapped and detained in a room with nothing but a mattress.” He wrapped me in another hug.
Two grumbling men were being loaded into a police cruiser, and behind them, Callum was already seated and stewing in the back of another one. Funnily enough, the police hadn’t removed the piece of tape on his mouth. The old me would’ve wanted a big show down with him—a moment to put him in his place and help him understand I’d never be with him again.
But the man was lost. Somewhere along the line, that mean streak had turned into a sickness, or maybe it always had been. He wouldn’t be able to hear me now if he didn’t understand that kidnapping me wasn’t going to get me back any more than threatening my business would.
He’d understand when he was in jail. That would hopefully get the message through to him, and I didn’t need to be the one to send it.
Acknowledging this had me slumping against Luc. My eyes fluttered shut and a wave of exhaustion hit. “I’m so tired.”
His arm steadied me against him, and he pressed a kiss into my hair. “Adrenaline crash, not to mention the whole ordeal in itself. Let’s get you checked out.”
Hours later, he drove me home and paced my living room while I showered. Or at least I assumed he did since I emerged to find him burning a hole in my carpet, his gaze on his phone as he wore a path around my couch.
“Luc? Everything okay?” I asked, running a towel through my hair.
His gaze tracked over my slouchy T-shirt and sleep shorts—a clean set—then hooked into my eyes as his throat bobbed. “Everything’s fine.”
The rough texture of his voice grabbed at me, luring me close with the gruff, used sound of it. “You sure?”
“I’m sure. I just…” His brow wrinkled, and he took my hand and guided me to sit on the couch, then slipped to his knees in front of me and pressed my palm over his pounding heart. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry for this. Please forgive me for buying him out to begin with, and please know I never meant to hurt you. It’s not enough, but I’ve learned why it was wrong, and I will not do anything like it again.”
I curled my fingers in to grip his shirt and pulled him to me, wrapping my arms around him.
“I forgive you. I’m so sorry I didn’t just call you and tell you. I don’t want to be someone who punishes the people they love when they’re angry or even when there’s something wrong.” I pulled back to make sure he could see I meant it. “Next time something goes wrong, I won’t shut you out. I was mad but I wasn’t about to walk away because of it, especially after you explained and apologized.”
His eyes shut slowly, and he exhaled. “Part of me has feared maybe we were done. That your willingness to let me comfort you was a kindness, and not because you still want?—”
“You. Luc, I still want you.” The truth made me smile, but it was nothing compared to his beaming, glorious grin. “I needed some time, that’s all. I was processing it and would’ve called you this morning.”
“I love you, Elise. I love you so much.”
His words set off fireworks in my heart and I laughed, the words tripping out before I could stop them. “I love you, too.”
We stayed like that for a beat before he leaned in and devoured me with his kiss. His lips found mine and he didn’t hold back. He wasn’t tentative or unsure, and he wasn’t treading with caution like he might hurt or break me. Every press and taste were laced with pleasure for both of us, and it quickly unraveled into so much heat and desire, I could hardly think straight when he pulled back and pushed off the ground to find a seat next to me.
“Better stop that before we can’t anymore,” he said, his kiss-swollen lips making me feel like I’d conquered something.
“Mm, but do we care?”
He chuckled, the small smile on his handsome face injecting liquid wanting into my veins. But when he laced our fingers together and kissed the back of my hand, that inferno banked into a steady flame.
“You need rest, and I need to go speak with my grandfather for a moment and then come back here with whatever food your heart desires.”
My heart sank. “Okay.”
He cupped my face in his hands. “He owes you an apology, too, but he has admitted how wrong he was.”
“He’ll let you fake-marry me, even without a dowry?” I asked, the sting of everything that’d happened last night—had it really been last night?—niggling at me.
